No News.

Isn't the general rule of thumb that "no news is good news?" Not in this case :(

I haven't had any news to share. And that's a bad thing :(

Ryan didn't get the Florida job. We're bummed. We let ourselves get too excited. I was even dreaming ahead to next July (our anniversary to be exact). I was thinking how we could DRIVE an hour to Cape Canaveral, hop on a last minute cruise at 150 bucks a person and THAT would be our anniversary trip... versus the exciting Detroit zoo trip we're about to take. (sarcasm)

Oh well... we shall press on. It's much harder for Ryan than it is for me. He's working a thankless job (that DOES pay the bills- and for that we're thankful) but the actual job is thankless. Ryan has worked TOO hard for TOO long to still be at Culligan doing grunt work. It seems like the general order of things should be as follows:
Go to college. Work hard. Graduate. Get degree. Apply for a job. Get said job. Life is good- no worries about health insurance, house payments, cars running, etc. Apparently that's not how things work.

Things aren't all glum around here- don't get me wrong- we're happy and we know there is a reason we're here (in Jackson that is). Ryan keeps telling me "something good is going to happen." I'm waiting...

From My BACK PORCH Looking In :)

I guess technically it would be from my bedroom looking OUT. But let me post a few pics about WHY my bedroom is my favorite room in our house:







I can literally sit on my bed (or the chair- which I JUST got today at a garage sale) and let Maeve play on our back porch.

When Ryan, my dad and I were laying out house plans I was adamant that I wanted a deck coming off of our bedroom. Bigger dreams include a hot tub... but for now, a kiddie pool and a slide will do just fine. :) I spent many a hot summer day (last summer...big and preggo) sitting on the floor watching Maeve play while I got to enjoy the coolness of the house.

Now, with Mr.Man in the McCrew it will be SUPER nice to stick him in the jumperoo right next to me, open the back door and let Maeve go at it. Both of my kids within eyesight and both of them entertained... doesn't get much better than that :)

Can I Turn to You?

Taking a quick break from Disney posts... I have insomnia again. My husband has resorted to sleeping out on the couch because I can't turn off the computer/TV/blackberry. Not because I'm addicted to anything in particular or talking with anyone but because I CANNOT SLEEP. I have waves of thought streaming through my brain... I wish I had an "off" button. But sadly, I don't. So, I am turning to the blog, to you to get some thoughts out and perhaps, just maybe I can type myself to sleep. Highly doubtful but worth a try.

-Yesterday afternoon I DVR'd an episode of Dr.Phil- normally he drives me nuts and I avoid his shows at all costs but I was running out of DVRd shows and I needed to make sure I had SOMETHING to watch at 3 AM. Anywho, back to the show. I ended up watching it around midnight or so- Ryan was once again on the couch- but this time it was because Henry was up and making noise and he felt like he could sleep better out in the living room...hmmm :) The show was about animal abuse- normally its not a title that would grab my attention- not that I'm NOT interested in animal abuse or rather, the prevention of animal abuse, its just not a HUGE interest of mine... like if the show would've been on anorexia or cancer or cheating scandals (haha-trashy I know) I would've been more excited to watch it. So where am I going with all of this? I was GLUED to the dang TV. Like fast forwarding through the commercials at lightening speed to get to the next segment- I was so appalled and taken aback by the way some people out there treat animals. I guess I had no clue how much abuse was really going on. I still obviously think child abuse takes precedence to animal abuse, however, its nonetheless pretty sickening. SO sickening, that I went out to the living room and dragged my 50 lb sleeping boxer back to the bedroom and made her snuggle with me. I scratched her ears and gave her a little head rub... and then I fell asleep dreaming about living on a farm (yes, this is a common dream) and adopting a few dogs. Hmmm... we shall see.

-I am photographing a birth tomorrow morning/afternoon/?evening? And I'm scared out of my brain. It's a good friend (ANGIE :) and I know she's going to do great but I'm nervous about seeing her in pain- seeing too much!?!? and missing PRIME-NEVER-GET-BACK moments. I love, love, love photography and I am loving all the practice I'm getting in with friends and family and I LOVE that Angie has entrusted me to capture these precious moments- but I am so intimidated! I am by NO MEANS a pro- but I'm going to give it my best shot. (hey- no pun intended! :) Not sure if Angie's going to post any of the pics or not... but if she does, I will make sure to post a few here... and I'm also planning on putting together a slide show for her- again, if she decides to share it, I will be sure to share it with you all also...

-Ryan got me a memory foam pillow for mothers day. To be fair, I asked for it (not for mothers day) but just randomly said "I want that." To be honest- its giving me a terrible neck ache. But I feel too bad to tell him :)

-I am beaming- BURSTING with pride. Maeve had her ballet pictures today and though she didn't POSE per say, she DID do her dances! And that's the really important part, right?? She is getting to be so big... I can hardly take it. I find myself listening to super sappy songs in the car and bawling my eyes out thinking about how my BABIES are growing too fast. Along with an "off" button for my brain, I'd also like a "pause" button on my kids :)

-speaking of my kids- here are some quick updates on both of them:
Maeve- boo boo queen. I've even started calling her "boo boo." Maybe its because she's been outside more and therefore, more active? I have no clue- but this past week she has managed to get a black eye (stick fighting with Sammie), a bruised back (falling off the side of the couch) and a bent back toe nail (stubbed it on Lord knows what). She kind of looks like she's been through a battle.
Mr. Man isn't doing too hot- well his roseola IS better- but his skin continues to be a problem. We aren't controlling it with the steroid creams which isn't good... we take him back in a couple of weeks to have his trunk looked at again (the eczema has spread to over 90% of his body) and if its still bad, we'll be referred up to the U. Half of me wants to go up there so maybe we can get SOME sort of help- I really had no clue how big of a deal eczema was- I think I've said it a thousand times before, that I thought it was just dry skin... but apparently when its covering such a large surface area, the risk of infections goes way up. And of course there's the whole scarring issue. He has 2 really bad spots on his hands that are literally pussing and blistering as we speak- they're AWFUL looking. We put a glove on him at night ( a baby glove, mind you:) but it always comes off in the morning and he's sucking on those spots again. Ughhh I know there are many, MANY worse things in life... I'm just sleep deprived and complaining.

-I miss Disney. I miss FL. I want another vacation. I asked Ryan if we could go on a Disney cruise. He said if I could find one for 50 bucks we're in. Guess its not happening anytime soon.

-I feel so blessed- my life has really rounded out lately. I have my two beautiful, healthy children, my wonderful husband, my amazing family, my house is in order (for the most part...), and what's really rounded out my world are my new girlfriends. They're not really NEW- I've known them for awhile now, but I guess we've just recently started hanging out (occasionally!) without the kids- and we've started talking about deeper issues than who's kid had the biggest poo. I treasure their friendship- I swear, some days just getting a phone call or a message from one of them, keeps me sane for the day! :) Jess, Les, Angie, Angela, Suz you guys rock :)

-Someone needs to ban me from watching "Monsters Inside Me" and "River Monsters." Really.



Alright... I think that about does it for my random ramblings. I am actually tired now... maybe just maybe... I....can...sleeeeeep....

Ash McKenney Had a Farm...

E-I-E-I-O!!!!!!!!!

Don't ask me why, but I've been craving me some farm life. Wednesday morning, we (as in me & the kids) were sitting at home with literally not a THING to do. Now, I'm about to admit a biiiiigggg mommy secret here- I'm a tad ashamed to admit it- but I'm going to be honest here... sometimes, when there is nothing to do, Maeve has me on my last nerve (meaning she's pitched her 10000 tantrum, the house is trashed, she's gotten into my makeup for the 4000th time and Henry's screaming for...who knows what) I pack them into the car, turn on a DVD (portable dvd player on the back of the carseat- best purchase ever) and DRIVE. DRIVE, DRIVE, DRIVE. Maeve watches her movie, Henry sleeps, I swing by Starbucks and all is good again. Is that terrible that I resort to restraining my kids in their car seats and driving around to get a break??? Eeek... I hope not.

Anywho, after my run by Starbucks (I've become a fan of those dark cherry mochas- SO GOOD) I had the choice of turning left (South) or right(North). Which direction do you think I picked?? SOUTH. DUH.

I drove until I reached South Jackson and took S.Jax ALLLLLLLLLL the way to Somerset. Yup- it was a good 30 minute drive. Maeve was totally into "Pinnochio" and Henry was sleeping. We saw lots of cows, horses, sheep, chickens, etc. And I made sure to point them all out to Maeve- because heaven forbid she missed seeing a cow. Along with looking at old barns & animals, I was listening to Taylor Swift & daydreaming about owning my own chunk of land someday. Why do I want farm land? Isn't that just one more thing to take care of? Well, yes. It is. BUT I desperately need some space. Our family needs room to run, roam and explore. I am planning on homeschooling (no comments please! -unless they're loving comments of course :) and I want my kids to learn through experience. LOTS of experiences. Such experiences, I hope that a giant piece of land could give them. Because... on a giant piece of land we could own some of THESE. Because nothing is better than farm fresh eggs. And of course with a house full of chickens we'll need a giant man rooster to keep the lady hens all happy.

I also want one of THESE pretty little thangs. Why? Well, look at them- they're adorable. But I have always, ALWAYS wanted one. And I've heard they're smarter than dogs. So why not? :)

In fact, in the midst of all my daydreaming, I even caught myself wanting one of THESE! A silo!?!?! Yup... why would I want/need a silo? Purely for looks. But LOOK- they are beautiful, eh?? I also would adore a couple of these suckers. Just so we can, ya know, see what direction the wind is blowing!?! :)

Really, though- and this is being totally serious. I WANT A FIELD. A GIANT, HUGE, GARGANTUAN-sized FIELD. One that we could plant a beautiful vegetable garden in... one that kids could run through... one that our hens & our teacup piggy could graze in... ohhhhhh... how I long for a field.

After reaching our "destination" (keep in mind, there really was no destination) Somerset, I pulled off at the famous McCourtie Park. GASP- believe it or not, I had only been there once. The park kind of creeps me out- I felt like someone was watching us the entire time. I know- strange, but we were the only ones there and I was totally picturing the cops finding our empty jeep like two days later, parked outside & us being the new "Dateline" story on Friday night. ANYWAYS, I managed to get a couple of pics of Maeve enjoying the freedom of romping and roaming all over the park. Poor Henry was trapped in his stroller and endured quite the bumpy ride over all the non-stroller friendly bridges. He was a trooper though and stayed asleep the entire time.
Here are some pics from our morning:






All Maeve really cared to do was run, run, run- and find sticks. She found piles and piles of sticks. She waved them up in the air, hit the bridges with them, threw them into the stream.... yeah. All in all, it was a fab morning. It just happened to flood me with the desire to live on a farm. Sigh...

The good news is, FLORIDA :) has lots and lots of farmland for sale. We're actively looking for a nice plot. Whether or not things will fall into place... well that's not my work. So, we're praying. And hoping. And praying some more. :)

Dreeeaaam, Dream, Dream, Dreeeeeeam, Dreeeeaaam

Oh my goodness- thats what I've been doing a LOT of right now- dreaming :) I know I blog about this probably twice a week, but I have baby fever up the wazoo. I think it may be the holidays... but we are having such an absolute blast with Maeve and I can't keep the thought of having another one out of my head. Today we went to the Toy House to put some more moolah down on our layaway, but we also let Maeve run like a mad woman through the place. Well this was my first time going to the Toy House with Ryan, so I could say "Hey Ryan can you watch her? I'm gonna look over here for a sec." BAD IDEA. Where did I end up wandering? The BABY ROOM. All you "Jackson-ers" know what I'm talking about- its this sweeter than sweet giant room filled with cribs, strollers, car seats, swings, baby blankets, teeny tiny outfits, etc. Oh MY WORD. I spent about 30 minutes in there... I have now found the exact carseat/stroller combo I want for this new non-existent baby, the bedding (of course I picked out a set for a boy and a set for a girl) and everything in between. Sometimes I feel really guilty for wanting and craving another baby so badly- I mean, I have my beautiful, light of my life bugger, Maeve! Why do I feel the need for anything else? Its funny though, of course I want another one for the basic reasons of just loving being a momma and wanting a big family, etc. But a giant part of me wants another one FOR Maeve. I think she will make a fabulous older sister and it makes my heart feel 10 times bigger just THINKING about Maeve with a little bro or sis.

Of course meandering through the baby room got me thinking in depth about having a baby. So as soon as we got in the car, Ryan and I started talking about it. We are sticking to our original plan, basically because we really do want the kiddos to be 2 1/2-3 years apart. But we also talked about some names, and how we'd buy Maeve a princess toddler bed and use her crib for the baby... we also agreed that we are going to be super mean to you all- WE are going to find out the sex of the baby, but keep you all (and family & other friends of course) in the dark about it... thats so cruel isn't it???? But we figured it would add a big element of surprise and fun into the whole birthing process. :) Wow it sounds like I am preggo doesn't it? Like we're really expecting another huh? Well we're for sure not. I am just really anticipating it... if you can't tell :)

Anyways, Maeve is napping... and Ryan is dragging up box after box of Christmas decorations. So we're going to try and cram all of our decorating into maeve's 2 hour nap... we'll see how it goes.

I'm sure there will be pics to post tonight after we do up our house!!! :)